It’s incredible to think that back in 1973 performance artist Chris Burden used a recorded video excerpt of his performance that same year, “Through the Night Softly,” to create a 10-second black-and-white spot that was broadcast five times a week for four weeks on KHS-Channel 9 in LA.
According to Nick Stillman:
Incredibly, it was aired in a prominent slot just after the 11 pm news. The first three seconds of “TV Ad” are exclusively text — bold letters spelling out “CHRIS BURDEN” against a black background, then handwritten script reading “THROUGH THE NIGHT SOFTLY” against a gray field. Then comes the footage of Burden, who wears only bikini briefs and whose hands are tied behind his back as he crawls on his stomach through broken glass scattered on a sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles, grunting as the shards crunch underneath his body.
I wonder if it got him more sales?
via East of Borneo
